Car rental in Europe

Hi Linda, Renting a car in Europe is no different than in North America. They have Hertz, Budget, National just as we do here. The main european car rental company is Europcar, which I have had great success with everytime I've used them.

With insurance, you can either purchase through them or you may also have insurance coverage with your credit card company as long as you pay for the rental with that card. You can call them in advance for more info before reserving.

We have never had any 'extra' fees added on. As normal, you always have the estimate cost, and as long as it is returned without issue, it becomes the final price.

You can also get an International Driving License in the US. All it does is have all languages to allow police/authorities to read your license information instead of having the burden on you to explain in a foreign language.

Good luck! Driving in Europe is nothing to be scared of...just bring your maps, and be prepared to drive about 20-40KM/hr more than you're used to.

..elaine
http://www.minitraveler.ca

In Italy you are required by law to carry both your regular driver license and an International Driver Permit. (It's not correct to call it a license.) If the police pull you over, you can be fined on the spot if you do not have an IDP. Get one from your local AAA office.

In Italy you also are required by law to have Collision Damage Waiver insurance. You can get it through the rental company or you can buy it from a third party like www.insurance4carhire.com.

For rental in Europe I recommend Auto Europe. Book ASAP to get the best rate. Phone their US toll-free number to ask about any special deals that don't appear on their Web site.

Like Tim, I use Auto Europe. They are a consolidator and guarantee the best rate. If you plan to get travel insurance, which is recommended, CSA (csatravelprotection.com) covers you not only medically and for travel issues, but they also cover the car you rent. You can check out their website for a rate quote and see what they cover.

Do not be casual with the idea of using your credit card for insurance coverage. If you do be sure to check with them before hand to know your coverage. Some credit card insurance is secondary to your regular insurance and is not primary. In the past there have been a number of horrid stores posted here when their credit card company refused to step in. I, personally, would not rely on credit card insurance coverage.

And your credit card might not cover Italy. Many of them don't. Call and check before you count on it.

When you get a quote, check the fine print to see what's included and what's not. Print off a copy and bring it with you. If anything's iffy, ask. We had a couple of charges dropped (nothing big, about 15 euro) by sending a simple email after we got home.

Thank you all for the responses. I have found Gamut.com extremely helpful and comprehensive. Has anyone actually booked a car through them? If we need to purchase insurance other than credit card insurance, which companies have you tried and been happy with. Since we will be renting in Italy, this is very important due to their insistance on getting CDW and Theft protection included with car price which mullifies credit card ins. anyway.
Ford Focus 1.6 seems to be readily available and fairly affordable with each rental company. Would it be big enough for 4 people with 4 small luggage.
Thanks again. Linda

We went through insurance4carhire.com for our "excess" coverage last summer, you actually go to the website dailyexcess.com to get it. The excess insurance covers the deductible from the CDW, which is usually around 1100-1500 euro, depending on the size of the vehicle. Well worth it. Paid about $64 for the coverage. If you go this way, print off a copy of your policy and take it with you, mostly so you know what to do if you have to file a claim.

I have booked through Gemut several times as have many others here. They are good people to do business with. Credit card companies will not cover CDW when you rent in Italy, at least none that I know of. Of course you can buy the CDW through the rental compay but the deductible could be hefty unless you get the super cdw which would bring the deductible down to zero or close to zero. The premium would be higher but you would have peace of mind of full coverage. From Gemut's report, "Another purchase option that offers better rates than those offered by car rental companies is Travel Guard’s $10 per day CDW and Theft coverage. The deductible is $250. Other travel insurers have similar policies."
You may want to check on the travel Guard's CDW. If you purchase it through them make sure you decline the rental company's cdw. Read about the insurance coverage closely in the Gemut report. You could call Bob or Andy Bestor at Gemut for additional help.

Go with www.autoeurope.com (consolidator)for estimates and return your vehicle in Italy for sure. you might consider using train for part of trip to ease on fatigue that you will have with driving alot.ie. Switzerland and French Riveria are easily done by train assuming there are just 2 persons otherwise a family may def benefit w/ a car. a request for automatic is always alot xtra.

In addition to the above good comments (CDW and IDP) get a GPS. You will be glad to have one everywhere but will really need it in Italy.

You can buy a decent Garmin or Tom Tom (the only two brands I would suggest), with both N. American and European maps, for not much more than the cost of renting one. Buying gives you the opportunity to learn to use it before you are on the road in Europe.

Few yaers ago I rented form europcar.com
They had the best rates at that time also they got offices all over Europe in case someting happens with car.
Keep in mifn that it's cheaper to rent by the week, so in your case you should rent for 14 days instead of 13. We got some discount because we rented for 21 days.